Internal fastener for telescoping tubular parts.



No. 670,040. Patented Man I9, mm. 0. L. THOMPSON.

INTERNAL FASTENER FDR TELESGOPING TUBULAR P ARTS.

(Application filed Aug. 15, 1898) ammx m: "Emma PEVERS 20., mnouwa,wasmuomn, n. c,

NITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. THOMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GEO. L. THOMPSONMANUFACTURING (30., OF SAME PLACE.

INTERNAL FASTENER FOR TEhESCOPlNG TUBULAR PARTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,040, dated March19, 1901.

Applicationfiled August 15,1898. Serial No. 683,614.. (No model.)

To atZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. THOMPSON, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Internal Fasteners for Telescoping Tubular Parts, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in internal fasteners for tubulartelescoping parts, the particular embodiment of the invention shownbeing a seat or saddle post fastener for bicycles; but the invention maybe otherwise embodied-as, for instance, in securing bicycle handle-barsto the steeringhead or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterreferred to of simple and economical construction, convenient andpositive in operation, and not likely to get out of order under severeand long-continued use.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, and will be readilyunderstood from the following description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view with parts in sideelevation and parts in axial section of the upper portion of avelocipede-seat-post standard and saddle-post seated therein equippedwith a preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is an axial sectiontaken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 in a plane at right angles to the view shownin Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 8 3 ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view showing the operating-bolt,however, in top plan view. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the severalmembers of the expander separately.

Referring to the drawings, A designates an upper portion of theseat-post standard of a velocipede, and B a saddle-post adapted to besecured therein, said saddle-post being made tubular and arranged totelescope and fit within the upper end portion of the seat-post standardin the usual manner. The saddlepost is provided in one side with alongitudinal slot 19 of a length sufiicient to aiford the desired extentof adjustment up and down of the saddle-post, and preferably, forconvenience of assembling and in order to facilitate the expansion ofthe saddle-post, although notindispensably, made open at its lowerend,or, in other words, extended to the extreme lower end of thesaddle-post.

O designates an expanding device arranged within the saddle-post, bymeans of which the latter may be expanded or forced outwardly intofrictional engagement with the interior of the seat-post standard. Inthe preferred embodiment shown said expanding device consists of aspring-metal ring (preferably of spring-steel) which is cut or made openat one side, as indicated at c, and is so conformed as to tend to assumea form slightly smaller in external diameter than the interior diameterof the saddle-post within which it is arranged.

D designates an operating-bolt arranged to extend in through an aperturect in the seatpost standard, transversely of the latter, through theslot 17 of the saddle-post, and between the ends of the ring 0. Theinner end of the operating-bolt extends into proximity to the oppositeside of the saddle-post and is bifurcated or made yoke-shaped, asindicated at d, and the expanding-ring is provided with a reducedportion 0, which is deflected inwardly toward the center of the ring andrests between the arms of the yoke cl, thus serving to hold theexpanding-ring against rotation and in transverse position within thesaddle-post, but at the same time permitting free expansion andcontraction of the ring. The ends 0 of the expanding-ring, which tend toclose together, and therefore clasp the 0p posite sides of the boltbetween them, rest against and have sliding engagement withinwardly-diverging or wedge-shaped surfaces 61, whereby said ends willbe forced apart and the ring thereby expanded as the bolt is drawnoutwardly. The cam-surfaces d are formed within the body of the bolt ordepressed below the side surfaces thereof, so as to form grooves d whichserve to hold the ends of the ring in register with the said surfaces.In order to thus draw the bolt outwardly, the outer end thereof isscrew-threaded to receive a nut D, which has bearing engagement with awasher D interposed between the nut and the outer face of the seatpoststandard. The inner face (1 of the washer is desirably made concave toconform to the cylindric exterior of the seat-post standard, and inorder to prevent rotation of the bolt within its seat that portion of itwhich passes through the wall of the seat-post standard is flattened ormade substantially angular in cross-section and the aperture (tcorrespondingly shaped to receive the same. In order to facilitate theentrance of the bolt between the ends of the ring and into operativeengagement with the latter, grooves or channels 01 of suitable width toreceive said ends of the ring are formed in the sides of the bolt, whichgrooves are made gradually shallower from the extreme inner end of thebolt toward the opposite end thereof until they run out near the grooves01 hereinbefore described.

The parts thus constructed may be assembled by placing the ring insideof the seatpost standard, with its open side in register with the boltaperture therein, and then passing the end of the bolt through theaperture and forcing it into place between the'ends of the ring, theguide-channels in the sides of the bolt serving to direct the yoke ofthe latter into proper engagement with the reduced portion of the ring.The nut and washer having been placed upon the outer end of the bolt,the saddle-post may now be telescoped into the seat-post standard overthe expanding-ring and with its slot straddling the bolt, after which itmay be clamped in adjusted position by simply tightening the nut,thereby expanding it into frictional engagement with the interior of theseat-post-standar'd.

In separating the parts after the saddlepost has been released andremoved the nut will be turned down until the bolt has been drawnoutward sufficiently to disengage its yoke from the reduced part of thering,whereupon the side of the ring thus disengaged from the yoke may betilted downwardly or upwardly, as most convenient, and the clasping endsthereof slipped laterally out of engagement with the bolt, it beingnoted that when the bolt has been th us drawn outwardly the ends of thering will rest in engagement with that part of the bolt between thegrooves 01 and (1 when the sides of the bolt are smooth.

While I have herein shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, yetit will be obvious that the details may be varied without departing fromthe spirit of the invention and without the exercise of more thanordinary mechanical skill. It will be further obvious that by means ofsuitable adaptations the device may be applied to various other uses. Ido not, therefore, wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction shown, except as made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. An internal fastener for telescoping tubularparts, com prising a tubular inner member having alongitudinally-slotted wall, an

mp4s

outer member within which said tubular mem-' her is adapted totelescope, an expanding device located within the inner tubular. memberconsisting of a spring-metal annulus open at one side and so constructedas to tend to assume an external size less than the internal measurementof the tubular member within which it is located, and means forexpanding said annulus consisting of a bolt arranged to extendtransversely between the ends of said open annulus, out through the slotof theinner member, and through a supporting-bearing in the outermember, a yoke upon the inner end of the bolt with which the closed sideof the annulus is detachably engaged, a pair of cam-surfaces forming thebottom walls of channels upon opposite sides of the bolt, saidcam-surfaces being arranged in in wardly-divergent relation, and withwhich the ends of the annulus have yielding engagement,guidechannel'sextending from the inner end of the bolt toward the cam-surfaces fordirecting the ends of the-annulus into engagement with the latter, and anut threaded upon the outer end of the bolt.

2. An internal fastener .for telescoping parts, comprising a tubularinner member having outward-yieldable wall portions, an outer rigidmember to receive said inner member, said members being endwiselyseparable, an expandible device within the inner member, a transverseexpander bolt entering through the sides-of the outer and inner membersits inner end terminating within the inner member and entirelysupporting the expandible device, its outer end extending outside of theouter member, one of said members supporting the bolt independentlyof-the other member whereby the members may be endwisely separated andthe bolt and the expandible device be supported in position by one ofthe members so that said members may be readily telescoped, andoperating means on the outer end of the bolt to cause said bolt toexpand the device within the inner member.

3. A seat-post fastener comprising a tubular socket, alongitudinally-slotted hollow seatpost fitting therein and removableendwisely therefrom, an expandible device within the seat-post and ofless diameter than the internal diameter thereof, an expander-boltentering through the socket and through the slot in the seat-post, itsinner end terminating short of the opposite side of the seat-post andentirely supporting the expandible device its' outer end extendingwithout the outer member, and operating means on said outer end to causesaid bolt to expand the device within the inner member whereby theseatpost may be removed and the expandible device be supported inposition entirely on the expander-bolt and out of contact with the wallsof the socket.

4. In a seat-post fastener, the combination of a socket, a tubularseat-post fitting therein and longitudinally slotted onone side andremovable endwisely therefrom, an expandible ameter than the internaldiameter of the seatpost said annulus being split or open at one side toform two ends adjacent the slot in the seat-post, a transverseexpander-bolt entering through the socket and extending through the slotin the seat-post and between the ends of the ann ulus its inner endterminating short of the opposite side of the seat-post and having theannulus hung on said inner end the other end of said bolt extendingwithout the socket, means on said outer end to cause the bolt to expandthe annulus and means for preventing the ends of the ann ulus fromslipping off the expander-bolt.

5. A seat-post fastener oomprisinga socket, a tubular seat-postlongitudinally slotted on one side and adapted to fit within the socketand be endwisely removable therefrom, an expandible annulus within theseat-post and of less diameter than the internal diameter of theseat-post said annulus being open on one side to form two ends adjacentthe slot in the seat-post, a transverse expander-bolt entering throughand having a supportingbearing in the socket, and extending through theslot in the seat-post and between the two ends of the annulus its innerend terminat ing short of the opposite side of the seat-post and havinga yoke formed on said inneriend to receive the closed side of theannulus, the other end of said bolt extending Without the socket, meanson said outer end to cause the bolt to expand the annulus, and means topre- Vent the ends of the annulus slippingtrans Versely off theexpander-bolt.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature hereto, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this13th day of August, A. D. 1898.

GEORGE L. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

HENRY W. CARTER, J. R. BILLINGS.

